Attachment for telephones.



W a?) I T ago 8 2% C. W, FERGUSON.

ATTACHMENT FOR TELEPHONES. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 9, 1915. RENEWED MAR. 1.1917;

1 %%%,3? 6D Patented Apr. 10 191?.

vmtneoozo CHARLES W. FERGUSON, F BOWER, WEST VIRGINIA.

ATTACHMENT FOB, TELEPHONES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr 1 0 lltldit.

Application filed November 9, 1915, Serial No. 60,503. Renewed March 7, 1917. Serial No. 153,169.

. tain new and useful lmprovements in At tachments for Telephones; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to new and useful [improvements in attachments for telephones and is primarily an improvement over my former Patent No. 1,116,4l02 dated November 10, 1914, and my object is to provide a suitable reel at any point between the telephone stand and bell mechanism upon which the cord from the telephone is to be wound.

A further object is to provide means for forming a contact between the wires of the a telephone and the line wires in whatever position the reel may be turned.

A further object is'to provide means for rotatingthe reel in one direction to rewind the wires of the telephone onto the reel.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in the accompanying specification.

lfn the accompanying drawings which are made a part of this application,

Figure l is a perspective. view showing my'kimproved devlce in use mounted upon a des Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the reel mechanism.

Fig- 8 is a detail sectional view through the reel containing box showing a contact point and plate employed forforming a connection between the wires of the telephone and the line wires, and

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the reel show} ing the contact plates thereon.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, 1

indicates a telephone of the usual or any preferred construction, 2 the cord contain ing the receiving and transmission wires, 3 the usual form of bell box and 4 indicates the cord containing the line wires.

In my former patent, the line wires were connected to a reel mechanism within the base of the telephone stand, but in the present instance, ll provide a separate structure which comprises a casing 5 of any suitable formation, which may be attached at any suitable point upon a desk 6 or other support, in which is rotatably mounted the reel 7 upon which is adapted to be wound the cord 2 the wires contained within the cord being attached to contact plates 8 secured to theupper face of the reel, said Contact plates being circular and forming complete circles around the pivot post 9 for the reel. The line wires of the cord at are entered through one wall of the casing and connected to posts 10, said posts having substantially S-shaped contact fingers 11 attached thereto, the free ends of which press against the contact plates 8 and complete a circuit from the telephone to the bell hoe; and line wire, and as said contact fingers are under tension, they will constantly direct downward pressure on said plates and as said plates are circular, a circuit will ts formed at whatever position the reel may be rotated to.

The inner face of the upper flange of the reel 7 is provided with an elongated chan nel into which the ends of the wires 2, from the telephone, are entered in order to engage with the contact plates 8, said channel being of a sutlicient depth to dispose the ends of the wires 2 entirely out of the path of the remainder of the wires as they are wound upon the reel, said channel extending from the hub of the reel to a point adjacent the peripheral edge thereof.

The object of this invention is to store cord connected to the telephone so as not to form an obstruction upon the desk or other support and in order to rewind the cord 2 upon the reel, a coil spring 12 is positioned around the lower end of the pivot post 9 and attached thereto while the opposite end of the spring is secured to the reel 7 and it will be readily seen that as the telephone is moved away from the casing, the cord 2 will be unwound from the reel at the same time rotating the reel to increase the tension of the sprlng 12. its soon as the telephone is moved toward the casing after the conversation has been completed, the spring 12 will cause the reel to rotate in the opposite direction and thus rewind the cord 2 upon the reel so that the cord will not become entangled with any object on the desk or form an obstruction thereon.

While I have shown the reel mounted within a casing, it will be understood. of

course that the same may be placed at any suitable point,'as for example within the bell box 3, the object being to dispose the reel in such position that the cord will readily unwind therefrom when the telephone is to be used and rewind thereon when the telephone is moved toward the reel. It will likewise be seen thatthis device can be very cheaply constructed and can be applied to use in connection with any form of portable wires from the telephone are to bewound,

one flange of said reel having a channel therein for the reception of the ends of said telephone wires and disposing the same out of the path of the winding portions of the wires, contact plates carried by the reel to which the ends of said wires are attached, means to rotate said reel in one direction, a casing for said reel, a plurality of contact fingers engaging said contact plates under tension, said fingers being substantially S- shape, the contacting faces of said fingers being curved, whereby said fingers will have rocking action on said contact plates when the reel is "rotated; said contact fingers engaging with the line wires of the telephone.

In'testimony whereof I have signed my name'to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES W. FERGUSON. I

Witnesses:

. T. E. HOWELL, v S. A. HOWELL. 

